It started with a nudge

It started with a nudge - the kind that wasn't loud, dramatic, or even a very clear thought. This story was being written well before I even realized it. A small stirring. A little hint of an idea. A softening of the heart. 

A handful of years ago, a co-worker was undertaking a leukemia diagnosis. "I'm going to need a bone marrow donation." The first bubble popped to the surface. A bone marrow donation - what does that entail? I could probably do that if his family isn't a match. A quick Goggle of bone marrow donation led to the door being opened to the idea of donating to help others. The first nudge.

Fast forward. A few years go by and it was so small of a nudge that the memory is a clouded blur. A man needed a kidney donation and was seeking a donor. It was a name. A person. A life. Someone, somewhere, was waiting for a miracle. A whisper came, "Maybe you can provide what this man needs." The voice was that of an almost silent whisper yet so loud it was deafening and couldn't be ignored. So fingers to keyboard led to becoming familiar with the National Kidney Registry website. Intrigued, yet not fully changed or challenged to do anything about it. A subtle prompting of the heart.

Another year goes by and a story of a family affected by a loved one's kidney failure. A plea for life. A plea for more time. A plea for someone to help. The nudge became a tug. The moment of ‘someone needs to do something about this’. The tug became a pull and the voice got louder. “There are people who can be given a chance at life and You can do something about it.” The You wasn’t for someone else. The You was specifically for me. I could give what someone desperately needed. No longer a curiosity. No longer an impulse. A fully convicted fingers to keyboard and a return to the National Kidney Registry website to take the first step of an expressed interest in becoming a Living Kidney Donor.

This was the moment the nudge didn't leave.

The nudge became a fully realized conviction settled deep in the heart.

You can't withhold good if it's within your power to give it. (Proverbs 3:27)

This is the beginning of a story. A story of how a gentle nudge became the hope of a life-changing choice. How a quiet idea became a loud booming voice. How one small impulse led to a fully realized moment of wanting to give the gift of life. The feeling that someone, somewhere, was waiting for something that I already carried within me. 

The moment of a deep internal understanding that I was about to begin this journey of giving something. Although, I wasn't losing anything in the giving - I was sharing an abundance. The moment of realization of prayers being heard, "Do something with my life that is for Your purpose and for Your glory. Here I am Lord, use me."  

Proverbs 3:27 - "Do not withhold good from those to whom it is due, when it is in your power to do it." 

Humbled by His goodness, provision, and abundance,

Katie